Vacation Homes

Work and play in paradise

Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas within Mexico

Everything Jon Legg needs is with him in his personal paradise at the Hacienda Beach Club and Residences, which is in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.

Photograph by: Handout photo
, Hacienda Beach Club And Residences

Jon Legg doesn't need to be tucked away in a downtown office to get his work done.

There's no need to battle rush hour gridlock in hopes of making his 8: 30 a.m. board meeting.

Everything he needs is with him in his personal paradise at a luxury getaway on the tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

Jon and his wife Pam purchased a resort residence at the sun-soaked Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas, which is being developed by Koll Company and Del Mar Development.

The Leggs' primary residence is in B.C. and they also have a home in Calgary.

While many people use their resort home as a place to focus on relaxation, Jon is happy to make use of an office that is only steps away from views including the eye-catching Me-dano Beach, which is known as the most swimmable beach in the region.

"You don't need to be where you are these days to work," says Jon, a financial services executive. He points to the region sharing a time zone with Alberta and daily flights to and from Calgary as benefits when doing business from his beachside office.

"I think the ease of access is an important issue," says Jon. "You don't have to stop in the U.S. You're down there in three and a half hours, door-to-door."

It doesn't hurt that his home office at Hacienda Beach Club and Residences is also fully wired with Internet and Ethernet, making it convenient to maintain communication with the people he works with.

But why work in Cabo San Lucas when you can't take time to enjoy the outdoors? Jon and Pam take time to pull out the clubs.

"We play a lot of golf," says Jon. Many residents of the resort make use of the Palmilla Golf Club, which includes 27 holes and is noted as the first Jack Nicklaus Signature Design course in Latin America.

Another reason the Leggs saw appeal in Cabo is its recent "massive infrastructural spend," says Jon, which he says was a result of G-20 meetings that took place in the region last June. He says the "billions," in infrastructural upgrades include improved highways, sewers and general cleanup.

"There's a world-class four-lane highway from Cabo San Lucas airport to Cabo. It's an easy place to get to compared to other tourist areas," he adds.

Jon says their home at the resort is about 4,700 square feet with four bedrooms, four ensuites and a total of five bathrooms, adding "it has a massive great room that opens on to a big balcony with a dual kitchen."

The home is professionally decorated with much of the furniture coming from Europe and the U.S.

The resort offers 109 homes in three styles along an 8.9 hectare property. These home styles include penthouses that start at $1.995 million and at 3,333 square feet.

They boast private terraces, including outdoor dining areas and a private space. The interiors have natural stone and hardwood finishes.

Other housing types include attached resort residences that start at $499,000 and beachfront villas that start at $3.995 million.

The attached resort residences range in size from 887 to 3,548 square feet, while the beachfront villas start at 3,424 square feet.

The beachfront villas have interior designs meant to reflect Old Mexico, along with modern finishes including wood-beamed ceilings and granite countertops.

Hacienda Beach Club and Residences was built on land that was once the home of the Hacienda Hotel, which was one of the first hotels in Cabo.

Along with its 1,600 lineal foot beach, other outdoor highlights of the resort include a marina, making it ideal for a deepsea fishing.

There are also charters across from the marina that offer sailing and yachting opportunities.

The resort also features a fully staffed beach club with a wine cellar, dining options and a multi-tiered infinity edge swimming pool.

The fitness room comes with weight-training, cardio, spinning and Pilates equipment. There's also a full-service spa with four treatment cottages, including hot and cold plunge pools, a sauna and steam room.

"It's a very friendly place. We know a lot of people there," says Jon, who adds many residents are from west coast locations including California and B.C., but there is also a large contingent of Albertans.

IN SHORT

Don Koll and fishing buddy John Wayne were deep-sea fishing thirty years ago near land that is now the home to Hacienda Beach Club and Residences in Cabo San Lucas.

The location caught Koll's eye and The Koll Company purchased the property from longtime owners the Parr Family.

The Koll Company then teamed up with developer Del Mar Development and real estate investment leader Starwood Capital Group when building the luxury resort community. Architects for the resort include Hart Howerton and Grand Vision Arqitectos and the interior design was done by Anderson Miller, Ladco/ Washington Park and Wilson and Associates.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

PROJECT: Hacienda Beach Club and Residences is a luxury resort on an 8.9 hectare property.

AREA: Cabo San Lucas in the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.

DEVELOPER: Koll Company and Del Mar Development, which are affiliates of Starwood Capital Group and The Koll Co.

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